Ah Spain!

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[Music]
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Welcome to a Spain. Buenos Diaz, Tanya Kal, Buenos Diaz. I'm doing very well
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overall. You're doing very well. Very well. Okay. Yeah. And do you per chance have an a Spain
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for us today? I have a Spain moment. Uh oh. This was on several days ago because
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we've talked before a little bit about package delivery and because I'd been traveling a bit and I thought it might
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make sense to have a package that I had ordered delivered and left at the drop off point that we've talked about,
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right? And then you can go pick it up whenever you want rather than having them be here and me not be here and blah blah blah or
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whatever or them throwing it over the fence and blaze eating it. Like there's just there's so many things that can happen that I was like this time I'm
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just going to drop have it stay there and I'll go get it no problem. Well, for those who have maybe been
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listening to our episodes, we had a big holiday October 9th um just just now,
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right? And that landed right when I traveled and I came back on
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the and then October 9th was a was a Thursday and I came back on a Tuesday night and it was
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Wednesday and I had already got a notice saying you only have till like this date to pick up your package which is what
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you get. You get like a text message no problem. It's probably like a week or two. Like it's plenty plenty of time.
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Okay. Plenty of time. But of course I had been traveling so it wasn't plenty of time. I was like, "Oh,
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I need to get it tomorrow," which is Wednesday. No problem. I got the whole day. I won't worry about it. And then I
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looked up the thing and it was we close at 1:30 and it was like 12.
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And I was like, "Oh my god, I've got to get down." And I looked at it and it's like, "Oh, they don't open again." And then I was like, "Well, maybe they Oh,
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oh, they're not going to open tomorrow because it's October 9th and then it's Friday, which is like another holiday. And then it's a weekend, so they're probably not open then either. So then
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that's Monday and and then it ran over my date, right?
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So after having loads and loads and loads of time, I suddenly had no time to pick up this. So you're like, "Oh, shoot. You're
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running out the door." Yeah. To get this package from a place that seemed so convenient that suddenly
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wasn't. And it never crossed my mind, and I should I've lived here 5 years now. It should have crossed my mind that they
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may not open again after 1:30, you know, and that's a country thing. I don't think we find that often in the city.
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Now, I will say in the city, you may find places that would not open after 1:30 if it's on a Friday in the summer.
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And maybe a Friday before the holiday, but 1:30 every day of the week. Every day of the week. And not open on
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Saturdays and Sundays. So, we're talking This is This is a nice work week. I mean, we're talking Monday to Friday
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from 9:30 to 1:30, right? Right. I don't know how you get that job, but
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So that was my Let me know if there's a help wanted sign cuz I'll take that job. There you go.
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So that was my ass. That was definitely a Spain a Spain moment. I'm like flying down there to try and get this thing
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before they close. And there's no parking in that area either. So once I got down there, I'm just frantic. It was
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So yeah, you you can't throw someone out of the car and say, "Go do it because yeah,
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you're alone on this. Take a blaze down there and go over there." I haven't trained her that well yet. Maybe that's something I should
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train her to do. I think people train their dogs to go to the post office. You could do that. Sure. Yeah.
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Put a little saddle on her. She's good to go. Yeah, that's absolutely true. All right. Well, well, that doesn't really lead us into
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today's topic. No, we're talking really fun, relaxing things today. kind of uh I I like think
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it's like our 10 off thebeaten path things to do in Valencia that maybe the guide books don't tell you or and people
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who live here don't know about, right? And yeah, we wanted to find some things that maybe people haven't heard about and
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at least some of them. So, this is our sort of quirky list or you know, things that we've done that we think you might
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like. Yeah, I think so. So, since this is kind of our like kind of walking tour thing
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of Valencia or quirky things to do is you're going to be hung. You need to be
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wellfed to take on the day. And this is one of my favorite places in this city and and I have taken you there and it's
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called Kiosk La Pragola. It's a very cute little place. We had a really delicious aluetto. I'm not sure
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we carried on and did anything else that interesting that day, but we were a little it would be a good place to start. Very nice people there though,
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too. Very nice people. And they have these very large bokeadillos for a very
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inexpensive price and they're like5 a piece. And what what I love about this place is
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it's filled with locals like there's people lined up. It kind of feels to me I I like to consider like the what the
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cats deli is to Manhattan for Jewish delies. I feel like this place is to Valencia for the Bokeado, right? This is
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like a tried andrue place that it's been there for a very very long time and it's outside and and the Alama
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is like next to the tia but it is like a park itself, right? It's this wide boulevard with this huge median with fountains and cafes and stuff and and so
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I love it because you can sit outside but there's there's like um the culture to it, right? There's the
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if you want a table, you have to wait, put your name on the list. But if you want if you're willing to brave, lurk,
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and be a predator. You can you can circle around the counter and sit at the
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bar, but you have to wait for someone to leave and you can pounce on them. It's very fancy that they have a list. I
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will say out in the country here, you just you just wait around until the table comes up. Survival of the fittest,
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whatever, you know? Right. Oh, what I have to tell you, which I noticed this first time cuz I
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didn't wasn't paying attention when I've been before and I never sat at the bar. It's a different price if you have a table or if you're at the bar. It's like
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a 25 cent difference. Like it's cheaper to sit at the bar cuz I guess you're not going to be a waiter,
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right? I mean, as quite so far all the way outside. It's not a big place. It's not like it's a gigantic.
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It's a kiosk. It's called kiosk. It's a tiny little I mean it's a proper little restaurant.
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When you say kiosk American wise, that sounds like it's a standalone thing, which it's not. It's its own little restaurant, but it's quite small. I
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mean, it's a normal size for a Spanish restaurant. But there is the kiosk thing, remember, right next to the restaurant. That's where they're actually making the
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bokeados. They're not making them inside the restaurant. They're doing it from that little kiosk thing that sits outside the restaurant. Remember that?
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So, anyway, I just like to mention it because I think it's, you know, I've taken people there that haven't been there. And it's kind of like and it's
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it's an experience. It's going to be very it's going to be very Spanish experience, I think. And it's traditional Spanish food and you
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Yeah, it was it was very cute. It was nice. Yeah. And what about you in the country? If you don't have to come down here, do you
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have a favorite place? We have one. We have a place out in Nacra which I would highly recommend if you're coming out this way. Like maybe
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you're going to take a car and go hiking and you want like a really big sandwich. We have a place called El Pastor in
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Nacra and it is known for their baguette long sandwiches.
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Badadio like baguette long. So huge and they also do serve other things but they
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this big big al mutoto place as well where everyone stops by gets these giant sandwiches and what was on top of that
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the sandwiches are very good. They also have very interesting ingredients. You can get like fried marinated Iberian pig
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ear. You can get horse meat sandwiches. You can get shredded pork knuckle. You
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can get obviously the oal a variety of sandwiches. Isn't it funny how Oal
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sounds like awful? I'm just going to put it. Yeah. So, I would say this is also that you
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can also get a chicken sandwich and a bacon and egg sandwich. I mean, you can still get all the regular like sandwiches, but if you are looking for a
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very unique ingredients experience, this is the place to go, right? and and they
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are they're more like a bigger restaurant like as far as they they are huge for Almoto, but they are also a
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restaurant that's open at night and you can get great tapas and stuff there as well, but their their sandwiches are
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famous as well. Gotcha. So, I'm going to have to try that out um next time um you invite me up to
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Are you going to do the pig ear? Probably not. You're pretty adventurous. I am adventurous, but I mean just a
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plate of cartilage doesn't sound so fun for me. But like the book, the Kios place, they have a wider range than you
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would find in the city. But they don't have the horse meat. But they do have many ingredients that you wouldn't find
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at more like kind of the street vendor places or the regular cafes where just like some haman or a tortilla on a boat
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a bog or some or some calamar. They have more interesting ones and they are big and I like to go with a few people
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because then everyone orders a different one and you split them in half and that's what we did. They just brought out a bunch of things. And I will say I for my personal experience
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and when people recommend restaurants, one of the things that is kind of a a
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bar that you need to reach in order to be recommended is that they have a good tortilla. And that is a really good
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tortilla that's kind of when we ordered like that's kind of soft in the middle. I think we ended up
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switching because I was like, I want mine really soft in the middle and yours was a little more cooked and they all they do vary, but it was really good and
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I got like the nice you were nice enough to to switch with me and give me the softer one cuz it was my first time
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there. So, he was a very good host and it was delicious. So, it was that is kind of one of those things is like how
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good is the tortilla, right? Mhm. Yeah. Yeah, for sure.
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Well, well, now we're fed. Where are we headed off to next? I think we have our number two. Yeah.
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Number two. Thank you. Let's do the numbers this time. We might get better at that. Number two, we have talked a
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little bit about how there's not really a secondhand sort of market in Spain for
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things. And that is true, but there is a thrift store called the Restrell uh thrift store in Valencia that is about
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the only and biggest place that you can go digging for things. I I have been there and it's it's quite large
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and there's probably like any thrift store there's a lot of stuff you don't want and don't need and then you have to this is a
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this is a fun you've eaten go and just spend some time there. This isn't rush in and find your the greatest thing.
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Yeah. You can't go in wanting something. You have to go in leaving with things you didn't know you need to have. That is exactly it. Yes. Very well put.
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And it is a cavern and it's a lot of stuff that you're like a lot of a lot of
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grandma's yadro. You know, if you're a yadro collector, you can get some good deals on yadro. But like a lot of places
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here, it is off the beaten path. And if you walk by it, there's two. There's there's one that's got like children's
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books and clothes and you think that's it. No. the one we're talking about, you have to go down the alleyway a bit and
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find this little warehouse or like entrance to a bigger warehouse, but it's like this little entrance. You would you
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wouldn't know it's there. So, you kind of really have to stumble upon it. And if you think it's the other door, then
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you've hit the wrong place unless you wear children's clothes. No, that's that's true. But what I didn't know about this place,
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and I had just found out I I had I had bought a painting there a long time ago, and for like €20, like it's it's the
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best find I ever had. But um this is actually an organization like it is a
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charity and they will go to people's homes and pick up stuff. It's all about the re reducing, reuse, and recycling.
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And so the shop is set up to help pay their bills, which I thought is Yeah. And I do I do think that's
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apparent when when you go through it because we had just I found it right
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after we bought our house and our house still had some old furniture in it that took us a bit of time to sort through
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and get out and some really interesting light fixtures and things like that. And
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when I was like I got excited about this place and I went down there and I was like this looks like all the stuff we just got out of our house.
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So, I was a little disappointed because it wasn't I was hoping for maybe a more modern like I don't know maybe or even
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retro old like 60s or 70s. Yeah, you got to dig for those finds. Yeah. So, it wasn't the right time for
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me. But yeah, and I have a feeling since it's the only one, there are like-minded people that
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probably scour that place every week to find that place because we do have vintage stores like in Rousafa for if
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you want to spend 50 euros on a old t-shirt, you can do that there. They're probably going to those kind of places to find the the thing, you know.
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Yeah. But they but we do not have like car boot sales, garage sales, anything like that here. And there even like I
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tried to set up a Facebook page to get, you know, people in Zena's school to start sharing uniforms and stuff. And I
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couldn't even really get it off the ground, which is like shocking considering, you know, between England
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and America, we're really good at sharing and and selling and getting the secondhand stuff. So, it's a it's
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definitely a cultural thing that's a bit difficult to get into here. Very much so. But I'd like to add one last note to this. And when we were
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decided we're going to do this episode and I researched this place. This is going to tie us back into our trash
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sorting episode. Remember when we were talking about that there's a bin that you could recycle clothes in?
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Do you remember we were talking about that? There's one for oil, one for this, and then there's every so often there's one for clothes. This is the
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organization that takes those clothes that you donate. Oh, right. Oh, that's interesting. Who knew? I knew now.
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I mean, that would make sense because they are the only place that is selling secondhand stuff. So, right.
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That does make sense. And what they do not use, they send a recycling to recycle the fabric,
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which is like amazing. So, I mean, I thought that was kind of cool. That's amazing. Yep. Okay. So for number three, I feel like
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we're you everything's like um a spits distance from each other because this is all over kind of by the Alama area is
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there's a place called the Hardinas de Manfort which is this little garden
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that you again have to stumble across. It's actually quite large but the it's
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hidden down a side street with buildings surrounding it so you kind of just don't know it's there and you stumble upon it. And it's also really close to the Hardin
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Deiel which of course everyone goes to. So you you don't think oh there might be another one just around the corner cuz
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by the time you've walked around around those large gardens you're kind of done with gardens I guess. It's it's time to go for another
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Bokeado. But this one has a really cute cute
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history. I mean I don't know. It's it's been around for a while but it was originally an orchard
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owned by Jose Vich. Um it was a baron and then in 1849 it
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was purchased by the marquee of San Juan marquee de Sanan and he then transformed
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it into a neocclassical romantic garden and versus the gardens real right the hardens rial this is very like it's got
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a couple sections to it but they it's got like the trimmed hedges and that kind of geometric formation it's it's
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compact and what's the word I'm looking for more idealistic or ideal with the statues and pools and fountains and the
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cute little Yeah. Like you said, sort of walkways and things. It's it's a little it's it's something you would imagine
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that you might have behind your French villa. Right. Exactly. And and since it's surrounded
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by all these other buildings, it does feel this like kind of private where and it feels more serene where the Harden de
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Rial is much more of a public park. This feels like maybe a p your private garden maybe.
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Yeah. And this if you wanted to paint a picture, you could do that there. Maybe. Yeah. And then so this garden was acquired by the Montforte family who
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then donated it to the city of Valencia in 1950 and now it's obviously a public public open to the public in 1973.
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So a very you know you got to love it when people do that because that's right in the middle. They could have just
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built another apartment building there, right? And I've noticed that Valencia has there's compared to other places,
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there's a lot more of paving over history here. And I don't know if that's the right word, but the city has grown and they've
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we'll talk about in the future how they've destroyed royal palaces and all these things, right, for progress, but
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this is still there. And and it is has all the statues and the fountains and the pools. Like it's definitely a serene
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place, right? And there's even a bonsai exhibition garden. So that's and that is
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one of those things that I wish I had the patience and desire to actually do those because it looks very
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relaxing to take care of of bonsai trees, but really it's maybe more relaxing to
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go look at the ones that other people have cared for. So you can do that. I agree with that.
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And also here is the house of the Monte Fory family. I don't know much about it, but it's a beautiful um uh Frenchy
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looking racoo style house. RCOo style house. Yeah. So it fits. So that's there.
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So therefore you can you can go sit there and imagine that you live in that little French villa RCOO style with your
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little garden and your statues and everything and have a nice there. Yeah.
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And you're right because the other because the other parks are much more like everyone's
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running around. People are riding their bikes or something and they're public. They maybe got a little cafe or something where you can sit and some
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nice things, but this is maybe more of a quiet place to go. I would say I think it's a retreat from the chaotic
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life of the big city. Number four, we're gonna talk about a
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few different places that you can go climbing up and see some views. Yes. So, it's it's not the place that's
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number four, it's the activity climbing Valencia. Where to get the views? I mean, there's a lot of places you can go and like eat
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and get views and things like this, but the these are quite fun. And a couple of these are very good if you, you know,
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when you have friends coming to visit because you can climb up some of these towers and get some amazing views of the
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city. So maybe we start with the the court towers and the Srano towers. Is
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those are kind of sort of related I've walked by the Sorranos, but I've
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climbed the court. I've walked by the court and I've climbed the Srano. So there we go.
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Potato potato. So, why don't you start with the Serrano
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towers because they are they are the they are kind of the quintessential Valencian towers, right? They're they're
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on the postcards. Yes, they are on the postcards. And I will say that is one of the places that if I have friends in town, we'll I'll
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drive in and park on the other side of the Toria. So that when you walk over that bridge, you have this really beautiful like view as you're walking
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towards the tower. And then the other side of the tower there is a really nice part of Valencia. It's old part of
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Valencia. So overall, you just get this very lovely Valencian experience if you come into town that way if you're not
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already in there. And it was built in 1392 and it is a many it is a symbol of the
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city like you said, you know, postcards, everything. You've definitely seen it and they do a lot of events there with
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like fireworks. So if the fire Well, I mean fireworks everywhere, but it is one of the places that you'll get fireworks,
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right? Especially during fire. I think they like crown the fire queen there or the start of there's a thing that goes
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down there's a big firework display so you watch from the tree and the whole thing's a glow and it's very pretty.
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It is very Yeah. And it's also what's nice and now when you walk up it you can
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it's just stairs. It's not it's not like a big hike. It's just I mean you're going up to like the first floor maybe the second there's a first floor and a
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second floor sort of viewing area and it's right on the Toria. So you get a really really nice view of the city from
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there. On one side you're seeing the Toria park and all this and all this part of it and from the other side
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you're seeing the old town with all these beautiful roofs and you can see some you know sort of church blue sort
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of roof like domed roofs and I mean it's just really really pretty up there and I I thought that was that's a lovely place
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to go up and it's um maybe €2 and then they have some free days but as far as
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what it was is it was an entrance to the city and there was obviously a wall and they
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pulled the wall down and they left that and it was used as a prison for nobility
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and and military. So only sort of rich people and you know sort of I guess
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and it is out of the two towers it is the more noble looking one in that kind of classic noble very castle looking and
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and it feels like that inside too so I don't know you know I don't know if that's makes a difference because I
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haven't seen the inside of the other one. So so I'll tell you about the other one. So the Torres Deort or the court towers
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which is on the city side. So again, this the wall wrapped around the city and this was an entrance on the the
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opposite side of the old town. And I will say and and this was built
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this took longer to build. So they built it between 1440 and 1493. And and it has
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seen a lot and there are cannonball holes and musket shot holes on the walls
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like you see it's it's eerie and magnificent at the same time that you can see all the the the history. So this
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is if the if the city was getting attacked, it was getting attacked from that side for some reason or another, I guess. Well, because it wasn't on the river. It
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didn't have that natural barrier. So they were coming from the ground. And
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just like your towers was the prisoner for nobility at one time. This was a
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prison for prostitutes. So you got one or the other. You don't mix the you don't mix the people if you're
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going to prison, but you get a nicer experience apparently mobility.
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Now, now this one I don't I haven't been to the other one, but it's not so much rooms. You climb up and then there's a
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first floor viewing area and then you climb to the roof and it's like two big like cavernous spaces on the first floor
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as it were um on each side, very open air. So, I don't know what it looked like before how they
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were housing the prisoners, but it is a daunting climb in that the stairs are very wide and very steep and there's
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only a handrail on one side and you don't notice it going up. We were fine. But I mean, my butt was a little was a
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little sore. My thighs were hurting on the way up. I don't remember that in the other one. So, I think the I think the stairs going
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up and down in the Srano Towers is maybe a bit more bit nicer perhaps, a bit nicer, but more pleasant
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experience. And then then you like climb stairs. I think Spiral Staircase and does give amazing views of the city and
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like you said the the the blue tiled roofs of the churches and things. Yeah. And so that was that's magnificent. But
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on the come down those that that last steep stairs which the initial climb on
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the way down um I sat down on my butt a few of them because it got I got a little vertigo because they're very
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steep and then I was like where's the handrail? I was like going down the middle and I was like inching myself to the wall so I could advice then it's
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maybe not for everybody, right? And I've taken many people there now and
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so now I just sit in the cafe down below. I'm like you can wave to me from the room.
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I would like to also add about this is that it is like the Sors it's very nominal fee like €2 with some free
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Sundays holidays kinds of thing. Yeah. Cuz I'm saying I've never paid so I don't know totally by accident that I
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we must have always gone on these free days without ever realizing it. Maybe a Sunday or Monday or whatever it is. So
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when you were like I think you have to pay for I was like you do.
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And what's amazing is because I think there was like four gates to the city and when they were tearing down the walls they they destroyed them because
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they were expanding the city and these two were saved because they were being used as prisons. Right.
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So we can I guess we can thank that process, right? So the last one in our in our number
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four of climbing places is the Valencia Cathedral and the El Miguel Tower which
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I have done several times at this point and several times. So you like punishment. Okay. Well, it's one of those things where
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it's a good exercise. It is not for everybody. It is 207 steps and you also
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have to come down, which is also I mean it takes a while. It's not that it's hard to go down. It'scept the steps are
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actually it's the opposite there. You're going around and around in a it's a tower so you're going around and around in a in a circular staircase and that
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takes its toll like on just monotony. And there are some little like some tiny
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little sort of places you can peek out as you're going up to see what you're getting yourself into, but when you get
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to the top, you really are above everything. So, it is definitely worth it, but it is a hike and it'll take
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about 20 minutes or so to get up and then you hang around there and then
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you can come down. So, it's definitely worth it, but it is not for everybody. This tower is is 50.85 85 m high and it
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is we've seen pictures it's a Gothic style bell tower and it was built between 1381 and 1424.
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It's spectacular. The inside I mean you can see the steps have those kind of you know um it's sort of compressed or
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whatever where the stone has been walked on a lot. So, you know, the steps they've been eroded as they have eroded
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and you know, so I mean it's and you're going up and people are sort of coming down and you're a little jealous of those people,
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right? You're like, how many more? How far do I have to go? And you can kind of stop. You can stop
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and let people buy, you know? So people that are going slowly will let people buy. But it is not big enough that you
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can imagine that you can just be like, I'm going to go faster than everybody else and just plow through everything. That's not going to happen. But if
25:37
somebody has stopped to take a rest, you can definitely make it by. It's wide enough for you to pass someone, but not necessarily whole
25:44
family for a breast. Yeah. No, that's not happening. And then they have these little traffic lights.
25:49
So they do regulate who's going in at the bottom and in at the top based on these traffic lights. So you
25:56
can only go down or up when when the light is green. So you you know, you go up and there's a big quite a large
26:03
square area at the top and you can see everything. It's and we went up at sunset one time and and it was it was
26:11
really lovely. It's definitely worth it if you can make it up there. Okay. Okay. Highly recommend. I think this is also
26:17
like Well, this was maybe €3, I think. Okay. Well, I haven't done it and I will
26:23
say because I didn't realize that it's a separate fee than the cathedral entry,
26:28
which the cathedral entry is a little bit more expensive. So, we didn't do the cathedral because we did this. So you did that. Yeah. And
26:34
that is probably it's going to take you an hour and a half to get up there, spend some time up there, come down. So
26:40
that's a significant amount of time and then we were kind of done.
26:50
And then when you retired, so number five, um since if you needed more green
26:55
space, there's the botanical gardens of I do love a botanical gardens. So do I.
27:00
And I do too. This is this is nice. But yeah, if you love plants and everything, this will
27:05
keep you happy. It will. And again, almost like the Montto for Montforte Gardens, it is more
27:12
tranquil. You will miss it if you don't know what you're looking for because the entrance almost kind of looks like a
27:17
modern office building kind of thing, a modern or community center. You don't really notice like you're heading into
27:23
to these grand gardens. And it is not the botanical gardens of like ones I've been to in Washington DC
27:29
or Q Gardens in London. We're not on that level, but it is an incredibly welltaken care of, beautiful little
27:35
spot. Right. Right. And and a tranquil space, too. And And I think that was like three
27:40
or four to get in it. It's not expensive. And if you want to just take a book and read and watch the birds fly
27:47
and have a little bit of peace like I think that's go look at some plants that you don't want to take care of, but you can appreciate that somebody else did.
27:54
And they had been I think growing herbs and all that kind of stuff for hundreds
28:00
of years there, right? Like this is it's been an ongoing space. Yes. I think they opened I mean this is
28:06
a mid 18th century. So they opened that site and then the records show that they
28:13
were growing medical plants for for I think the medical education at the
28:18
university since maybe 1462. This is a long time. So they've had this sort of gardens and then it's been used for a
28:26
lot of things like you said with medical with medical herbs and using it for cultivating herbs for medical use I
28:33
think. And then in 1567 the municipal government of the city of
28:39
Valencia appointed uh Joan or Juan I don't know Han Platcher as doctor of medicine with
28:46
the task of collecting species. So very interesting and that was his garden to
28:51
to use and teach through there. So kind of relate and I don't know if it's still related to the university but
28:58
it might be I suppose for education. I don't know. We're not experts on everything. We're just giving you things
29:04
as we see them. We're not experts on anything. We're just trying on anything. Doing our best.
29:12
Um so that's cute. Number six is very fun. This is the Cat House Cafe place.
29:18
Have you seen the cat house? We've been Okay. Yeah, we It's a tourist. It's a People are in town. I have to take them
29:25
there. Yep. Absolutely. It is very Well, you explain since you've probably been there
29:30
more times than I have. I think I was just there a couple weeks ago. I mean, it's cats, you know, and
29:37
especially if they're not yours. It's the the Casa de los Gatos and it's it's by a couple museums. the modern one
29:44
of the modern well actually both modern art museums are kind of over there. So if you're over there in that part of the
29:49
Elcarman district, you'll you can stumble upon it. And it's just on the back side of this wall where the this
29:56
artist Alfonso Hu Navado had built this
30:01
cat house cuz he was noticing cats coming and going and stuff. And so there's a little hole in the back wall
30:06
of the yard of the house. And that's where he sculpted this house on and the wall is blue, but the house
30:13
itself is a Valencian. It looks like a It's a miniature version of a a typical
30:19
building found in the garment district, right? And who's feeding the cats and keeping
30:25
it as a nice restaurant cafe for them? Well, I think who I think who's ever on
30:30
the other side of that wall because there's a hole and if you crouch down, you can see that it goes that hole goes
30:35
back into the space. But no, but random people aren't doing that. Like it's not one of those things where like you would go and leave some
30:41
food. It's definitely being taken care of by some responsible people, I think. So, yeah, it doesn't there's no
30:47
sign that says please leave food or anything like that. And I will like to add I have only stumbled upon it once
30:55
with my daughters. Oh, okay. And this is for um our listeners and people who are living here, they can
31:01
chime in if they want to give us a shout because I'd like to know where it was again. There is another cat house, okay,
31:07
that my daughters and I stumbled on that was on the side of a building closer to like Avenue La Paz kind of
31:15
over there. We haven't stumbled across it again, but it had and it was in a more I think I felt like it was a more
31:21
modern area of town. There is another one. But there is another one. There might be multiple because I have to imagine that,
31:27
you know, there out here in in the country, we have little colonies all
31:33
over the place that are being, you know, taken care of by local people in each village. So maybe several. So if you go,
31:40
you'll go out if you drive around and you'll see a bunch of cats and you'll see some empty containers and some water
31:45
containers that people are clearly taking care of them. This is a whole level, whole new level of probably
31:52
taking what might have been an abandoned building maybe or area and creating a whole home, restaurant, cafe, living
31:59
space for cats. I mean, it does look like a little cafe for cats. I mean I mean almost like a
32:05
little table and chairs for them to sit at, but it's very cute. So, also about
32:10
this, there's there's a inscription on it that goes it's like a local legend
32:17
and it's something about the four cats that survived a massacre ordered by Elsa.
32:23
Oh, a massacre of cats. Cats, I guess. I mean, I don't know. In 1094.
32:29
1094. Okay. Well, I would imagine. Yeah. But I mean I could see I mean the cat
32:34
population can probably get out of control really fast if it's not being maintained at all. So
32:39
true. Yeah, I could see that. Um but there Yeah. So I mean it's it is
32:44
a cool space and and it's it's very Instagram friendly and it'll make your friends and family happy when they go
32:50
back to know that they have seen and your kids will love it probably too, right? If you have if you have kids that love animals. It's a it's a really
32:56
unique place I think. Right. Right. And then number seven, maybe you've done so we've already
33:03
established that we did not go into the Valencia Cathedral and you did. What is in the Valencia Cathedral? Apparently
33:10
the search for the Holy Grail. Amazing. Isn't that kind of cool? So this is It's so cool. And I didn't
33:19
know that until I moved here and then someone told me and then and I was like,
33:24
"Okay." Okay. And then so I don't understand what all these movies were about if the Holy Grail has been here in Valencia the whole time.
33:30
Well, there's several holy grails and people are claiming to whose holy grail is the real Holy Grail. So the one
33:37
Valencia obviously is the real one. Obviously is the real one. Duh. And and the Pope has like one of
33:44
the popes has actually drank from the chalice and acknowledged that this is a holy grail. I don't know if they stated
33:50
that this is the one, but like they acknowledge that this isn't a fraud. How about that? That's amazing. So, like I said, we
33:56
didn't do the tour. So, when you do like give give us a bit of an experience of what you see when you go in because we I
34:02
haven't actually gone to see it. So, what's Okay, so we got in by So, we got in for
34:09
free cuz it's like €9 to get into the cathedral, but if you go during services, you can get in. And so we just
34:15
happened, we had friends in town and we were walking and it was in the evening like five or six and they just happened
34:20
to have to service and the friends that we were with, let's just walk in cuz they're not charging. Let's go. And so
34:26
we walked in and we weren't the only ones that were there for the no charge. Cuz there was a lot of guards being like, "No one's going in the pews. No
34:33
one's going in the pews." Cuz a lot of people walking around and they were like, "Put your cameras away. This is not the
34:38
So maybe this is not the tip that we want to give at this point." you know, well, the the the Holy Grail's not in
34:44
the main Okay. not in the main uh worship space. So that the that's in a separate chapel. So
34:49
in that room, so that you kind of walk behind in the back of the cathedral to go to the side chapel where the Holy
34:55
Grail is. And it's this, you know, it's this very medieval looking room, lots of stone walls, and
35:00
then in the middle of this wall way up high, is the Holy Grail, which is then
35:06
been wrapped in gold. Right? So it's not just the AGOT bowl. It's now got a It's
35:11
now a big chalice with a stand and a stand. Everything's goldplated at this point.
35:17
Oh, no. I think it's solid gold. Solid gold. Oh, you said it's wrapped in gold. Well, like the So, the the the AGOT bowl
35:24
is now resting inside this this kind of like chalice frame of of gold.
35:30
I see. Okay. And that was done hundreds of years later or whatever. Whoever bought it said this this this bowl can't just look
35:36
like that if Jesus drank from it. It has to be prettier. Right. That's how it goes.
35:42
But it is high up and far away. So it's not like you're getting up close to look at it. You're like And it's gold, so it kind of glares back at you. So
35:50
which I suppose it should be like an experience where you get
35:55
glared at with light and gold. So it's worth seeing. It's kind of fun.
36:01
It is. It is. Again, it's a a bucket list item. You can wow your friends and families to say you've seen the Holy
36:07
Grail as you're watching Monty Python in search of the Holy Grail. Been there, done it.
36:14
One of the best movies. Definitely. Okay, so number eight, we have the Valdinga Dinga Gateway. I don't know how
36:22
to pronounce that. V. Well, it's double L, so it eludes me to see Vinga,
36:27
but there's no vowel after it. So, I don't know. We'll leave that to to the women on Google to pronounce that. Why
36:34
don't you get us going because this is this is a very I've been here. It's it's a lovely little sort of thing to see.
36:41
I've I've walked past it a million times without not without without
36:46
Yeah. without knowing what it is. Me, too. And it's a nice photo up, but you're like, "That's cute." You know, and now I know what it is. And I'll be
36:52
honest, I've taken a million photos of it every time I walk by it because it's such the idealic little narrow street
36:58
and then there's this arch in the street. And I didn't know that's what this was, that this was originally
37:04
um it it dates back from 1400. And it's it was another wall around the city that
37:10
separated the Moors from the Christians. And the gateway, the gateway with no gate. This was
37:15
And there's no gate, right? I mean, well, this explains why it looks like a lot of Moroccan streets where you might
37:22
have an overhang between buildings and a little archway would look exactly like this. What I also found interesting is because
37:29
you just see this archway and there's a building above it. So, it almost looks like to me like there's an archway through a building. But what what had
37:35
happened was is that in 1678, the person who owned the buildings on
37:41
either side of it got permission to build a house over the arch. So that's why it looks
37:46
so it wasn't sort of initially part of that I guess. Interesting, right? It was just the wall and someone's like, well, I own a house here
37:52
and there and I I want to bring them together as one does. And it's a very cute obviously it's an old part of town
37:58
and you're walking and you sort of come down these tiny streets and then you turn around and you see this kind of
38:03
interesting arch that doesn't really match other there's not a lot of arches in that way like in the streets and so it's
38:10
right it does give that kind of sukiy it really does feel to it and there's some cute little cafes and and things
38:16
around in that area as well. So, you can certainly enjoy a nice a nice afternoon
38:21
walking through those streets and seeing the the gateway, which I'm not going to pronounce again because I can't.
38:30
And then number nine for our spooky lovers, which I love this. I am not spooky, but I do
38:35
love this. So, we haven't been there yet. I'm just going to say my my youngest daughter and I, Paloma, both share a love,
38:43
fascination, and excitement for cemeteries. And like when we lived in Los Angeles, we went to all the cemeteries all the time. We were like,
38:50
did you do the movies? You did the movies at the Hollywood cemetery.
38:55
We did do the movies at the Hollywood cemetery, but this is like we like there'd be a field trip on the east side of town and like there's a cemetery.
39:01
Should we stop in? Oh yeah, we're stopping in, you know, cuz like if I was like chaperoning a field trip anyway. So
39:07
this is the the this the the general cemetery of
39:12
Valencia. I'm not going to try it in Spanish right now. and they offer the El Museia Museo Dilencio.
39:19
So the it's walking tours and they have like four different ones that you can choose from. I think there's an app.
39:26
You want to tell me about it because you've been here and I have not. So So this one is unique for me because it
39:31
is where where we are and where I've driven around which is a large area around this Valencia part of Spain. I
39:39
don't see a lot of cemeteries like I see in England and America where it's large sort of plots of land with headstones
39:44
and and all these things going on and this one and that is what this is. We see a lot of the walled areas where you
39:51
don't see anything unless you go in through the gates. It's like high walls. So this is one of those things where you
39:56
drive by and you see that it's a cemetery, right? It's that kind of there's loads of headstones and they
40:03
have, you know, a lot of notable graves and, you know, good interesting architecture.
40:09
And with with these tours, they have really the four tours, like you said,
40:16
and each one will talk about different lives of people that live that are
40:21
buried on these little walking tours that you can take, which I think is like really fascinating and fun. And there's
40:27
just a lot of interest interesting, what do you call it? The the funeral art. What do you call that?
40:33
Theary art, which is what we love. Like that's why we love museums to see who what who's got a pyramid, who's got a
40:40
column, who's who's got a family crypt. So you have these like unique mausoleiums there. There's a neo
40:47
Egyptian pyramid for one family. So there's a lot of very interesting stuff going on here. So I think it's just a
40:53
really really interesting tour. Like a self-guided tour. You can have guided tours and self-guided tours. So, you go
40:59
ahead. Yeah. So, I think the the museum has like an app where they have four they have like kind of like their own set.
41:04
So, there's one where it's just you can do a path of just popular people and
41:12
like included on that tour you would find the Terraros Apart Apari which were
41:18
two bull fighting brothers who both died during bull fights two years apart from each other. Okay. So, I mean that's like
41:23
gruesome but Spanish history. It's kind of cool. And then they have an influential people
41:30
tour. Do we have names that we recognize there? Perhaps we do. I mean, this episode is about
41:36
tying other episodes into this one, right? Cross referencing. Waqen Soya is
41:41
buried. And if you don't know who he is, which I'm sure you do, go check go check out
41:46
our poco a poco about him. Yes, we have a one dedicated to him
41:53
solely. Then there is one for the six women who left a mark on Valencian
42:00
history and culture and including the Marqueesa Dan Juan who became depressed
42:07
after tending to a garden which later became known as the garden Hardinas de Montfort.
42:12
There we go. It's all tying in together all of our little here.
42:19
Oh, wait. There's one more. There's one more. There's one more. And then there's the largest one, which is the the 18 lives
42:24
and 18 silences. And this was the most the most comprehensive history. So, I think it touches on all of these people
42:30
and plus others, too. Right. So, the last one, number 10, is a personal passion, weird passion of mine,
42:36
which I just from driving around in Spain, their roundabouts are insane.
42:41
Right. And and and I will concur that this is weird because Tanya loves roundabouts and I'm still never going to get the hand of it. We'll we'll do an
42:48
roundabout episode and she can spend trying to convince me then. You need to be driving in Spain first
42:54
before you can even start to worry about roundabouts. Maybe that's why I'm not driving in Spain because I am worried about
43:00
roundabout. Well, and I will say some of the ones in the city obviously are huge and they have, you know, four, five, six lanes
43:07
and they don't really delineate them. So, it is a little it can be a little interesting. I obviously grew up in
43:12
England. used to roundabouts, but if you're not, you know, definitely look at how to drive them and don't be just
43:18
staring at the artwork in the middle because every single roundabout that we that I have seen, even the tiny ones,
43:25
are at the very least properly landscaped with irrigation and some
43:31
interesting plant or some interesting little pods going through it if they've done nothing to it. And then like over
43:37
in like Sagunto, they have some beautiful ones with like boats made out of mosaic with little waves like
43:43
sculptures all with mosaic on them. I mean just gorgeous. And they're often sort of in somehow related to that town
43:51
or whatever's going on in that town. They've all so they are obviously finding artists and having them,
43:57
you know. I mean I will say last night we were in this tiny little town uh Bonreposi
44:03
Mirala. I think that's how you pronounce it. And we were in the cab coming home and it passed this roundabout and there
44:09
was this tiny little like little pagod type statue in the middle of this roundabout in the middle of like this
44:15
town in the middle of like kind of I don't want to say nowhere but I mean it was just like okay very serious about it. I mean it's
44:21
something that I noticed and even you know here in Nacra we have like when you come into the town they've got these massive stone letters of the name of the
44:28
town with with like a waterfall and stuff. I mean it's like they're not messing around with their roundabouts. So, we can't get into all of them, but
44:35
we did pick a couple that we liked in the city. And I think the first one, you
44:41
know, it's there's a lot of public art, so we're going to do a public art and then a non-public art one. And this is
44:46
the the Damma Ietica. Okay. So, this one is enormous.
44:52
I I concur. I will agree. You cannot miss it when it is a big roundabout. But this statue piece of art is 18 m high
45:00
and it is ma and it is blue. It is made up of 20,000 small cobalt blue pieces of
45:07
little uh tiles and it is it's weird and spectacular. It's all I can say.
45:13
It's I mean I we call it the blue princess Leia. It kind of has that's what it looks like. It's over by
45:20
the the IMED Valencia. So if you ever driving out in that way, you've definitely seen it. It's like the modern part of the city to
45:26
welcome you into town, right? It's it is the big roadway in. It's the big it is a sculpture by Benolo Valdez
45:33
and it is a monument that is tributed to the Damade Elchce which is an Iberian
45:39
limestone sculpture that was made between fifth uh the fifth and fourth
45:44
centuries BC. I believe we talked that about that in our museums of Madrid episode.
45:49
Yes. So you can go see that and then go see this, right?
45:54
You will see it. So this is a very modern version of that. You can see the comparison. But Princess Leia also,
46:00
right, Princess Leo and also the blue the the cobalt blue is is is to remind
46:06
people of the blue domes of the city as we talked about earlier that there's lots of blue tiled churches and
46:11
buildings. Yes. Yes. Yes. Absolutely. So, it is a nice intro to the city when you're coming like when we drive down the auto into
46:19
the city from that area. That is one of the first roundabouts you see and you can see the sculpture from like a mile
46:24
away, right? Coming down. It is pretty impressive. And then the other one we're going to mention is the
46:30
Porto de Lamar. And I love this one because it's like our own little arctic triumph in in in Valencia
46:37
in the middle of a roundabout. In the middle of a roundabout and a lot of stuff happens at this roundabout. This is a very central
46:43
location for you know dare I say fireworks. Yes. And it's not just I mean it's all you know landscaped as well. I mean it's
46:50
it's not and there's a park adjacent to it up across from it. Yeah. It's it's
46:55
beautiful. But it is that was built in 1946 as a monument to for the victims of
47:02
the Spanish Civil War. So there's there's some heartfelt history there. There is a cross in the middle of it.
47:07
Yes. Isn't it? That is, you know, obviously commemorating that, but it is a replica of another one that stood in
47:14
the city beforehand, right? Another arch, right? But this is a replica. This is not, you know, I mean, it's old enough, but it's
47:20
not that old. And it has three arches. And then above the arches, there are four reliefs by the sculpture Vincente
47:26
Naro Romero Romero. And those represent courage, obnigation, peace, and glory.
47:33
So, you have a very like if you get close up to it, which I haven't. I've just driven around it like a lot.
47:39
We've stop and go in then I think it would be like a lot of details in it if you have the
47:46
time to do that. It's very pretty and I will say at the end of the July festivals they did the
47:52
final night fireworks there. Okay. And that and they did a Caraf which is the those kind of statues that are on
48:00
fire with the sparklers. We've talked about those before. Yeah. So, they had started with that and then the fireworks, but the fireworks were
48:05
all lit off by the arch and we had my friend from London visiting and we went to it and she was blown away
48:11
because the whole arch is now lit up in fireworks and colors and the and the shadows behind it in the foreground. So,
48:16
it was it was spectacular. Yeah. Yes. So, those are the little those are those
48:22
are the two roundabouts, but let me tell you, every roundabout is worth talking about. So, we I think we'll do a roundabout episode
48:29
about the public arts that we can see. We might do. Yeah, cuz it's it's kind of like their own museum. The the
48:34
roundabouts are the kind of a a traveling museum there in the sense that they really do get very interesting um
48:41
sculptures and other other elements, artistic things in these roundabouts. So, I love it.
48:48
All right. Well, I think that's our 10 off thebeaten path things to see in
48:53
Valencia. Absolutely. I think we're done. We'll have to find 10 more. I'm sure there's loads more, but that was the first ones
48:58
that we kind of This could be a beginning of a series. Who knows? It might be. Well, aa leego. Until next
49:05
time. Aasta leego. Tanya. Hey, can't get enough of us? Follow us
49:12
on Instagram and Facebook at a Spain podcast and on our website.com, which we will be
49:17
updating with exciting new things as we grow. We would love for you to message us with any topics you would like to hear about.
49:24
See you next time. Bye. [Music]